Ex-Sinaloa security chief in Mexico arrested in US over alleged cartel ties

Gerardo Merida Sanchez was arrested in Arizona on May 11 before being transferred to New York.Published On 15 May 2026A former security chief in Mexico’s Sinaloa state has been taken into US custody on allegations linked to the Sinaloa-cartel" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="1051" data-entity-type="organization">Sinaloa Cartel, according to federal court records and reports unsealed late Thursday.Gerardo Merida Sanchez, 66, who served as Sinaloa’s public security secretary from September 2023 to December 2024, was arrested in Arizona on May 11 before being transferred to New York.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Mexico’s Sheinbaum questions US claims of drug ties to Sinaloa governorlist 2 of 3Mexico’s Sinaloa state governor resigns amid US drug trafficking chargeslist 3 of 3US indicts Sinaloa governor, 9 others over Mexican drug cartel linksend of listHe is reportedly due to appear in federal court in Manhattan on Friday and is currently being held at a federal detention facility in Brooklyn.Merida Sanchez and former Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha were both charged in an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court on April 29, accusing them of conspiring with leaders of the Sinaloa-cartel" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="1051" data-entity-type="organization">Sinaloa Cartel to import large quantities of narcotics into the United States in exchange for political support and bribes.According to the indictment, US prosecutors said Merida Sanchez accepted more than $100,000 in monthly cash bribes from Los Chapitos, a powerful faction of the cartel led by the sons of jailed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, in exchange for protecting the group’s operations.Authorities allege he used his position to shield the group’s drug trafficking operations by ordering law enforcement officers not to arrest Los Chapitos members while targeting rival criminal groups instead.Prosecutors also accuse Merida Sanchez of leaking sensitive intelligence to the cartel, including advance warning about investigations and planned raids on drug laboratories and safehouses. In one instance in 2023, authorities said he alerted the group ahead of at least 10 raids, allowing cartel members to move personnel, drugs and equipment before security forces arrived.